z Gave them power of procreation, and fruirfulneſs, which is "of juſtly a as a great bleſſing, Pſal.128. 3,4. # And conſe- quently in the Rivers, which come fromthe Sea, and return in- to it, 6 Where they ſhall commonly have their Habiration, though they had their orginal from the Waters ; of which ſee on v. 20.
23 Andthe Evening and the Morning were the
fifth day. | FE + Heb.” 24 © And God ſaid, Let the Earth bring forth + the 4, and creep-
ving SOl3: [fying Creature © after his kind, Cattle ing thinge, and the Beaſt f of the Earth after his
kind: Andit was (o. |
c 1.e. Thoſe living Creatures hereafter mentioned, whoſe ori-
ginal is fromthe Earth, and whoſe habitation isin it. d z. e.Thoſe
tame Beaſts, which are moſt familiar with, and uſeful to men for Food, Clothing,or-other ſervice. e To wit, of the Earth, ofa dit-
fering kind from thoſe creeping things of the Water, wv. 20. f 7.
e. The wild Beaſt, as the Hebrew word conmonly ſignifies, and as appears further, becauſe they are diſtinguiſhed from the tame
Beaſts, here called Cattle. | | 25 And God made the Beaſt of the Earth after his kind, and Cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the. Earth after his kind: And God
ſaw that it vas good.
- Chap.z. _ 26 J And God faid g, * Let us make man 4 inour 1. & 9. 6. Image, after our: likeneſs 5: and * let them k «: Cor. 11. have dominion over the Filh of the Sea, and over the Ling x Fowl of the Air, and over the Cattle /, and over all *4: 1-03" the Earth , and over every creeping thing that
TO. *Pſal. 8.6. creepeth upon the-Earth. | g Having prepared all things neceſſary for mans uſe and com- fort. Þ The plurals », and our,afford an evident proof ofa plurali- ty of perions in the Godhead. Ir is plain from many other Texts as well as fromthe Nature & Reaſon of the thing,that God alone is mans Creator; the Angels rejoyced-at the work of Creation, bur only God wrought it, Job 38. 4,5,6,7. And it is noleſs plain from this Text, and from divers other places, that man had more Creators than one Perſon. See Job 35. 10. John 1. 2, 3. &c. Heb.t. 3. And as other Texts aſſure us that there is but one God, fo this ſthews that there are more perſonsin the Godhead : Nor can that ſeeming contradi&ion of one and -more being in the Godhead be otherwiſe reconciled, than by acknowledging a plurality of Per- ſons in the Unity, of Eſſence: Ir is pretended that God here ſpeaks after the manner of Princes in the plural number,who uſe to ſay, We Will and Require,or, It isour Pleaſure. But this is only the Inven- / tion and pradtice of latter times, and no way agreeable to the ſim- plicity cither of the firſt ages of theWorld,or of the Hebrew Stile The Kings of J/-ael uſed to ſpeak of themſelves in the ſingular . number, 2 Sam. 3.28. 1 Chron: 21. 17.and 29. 14. 2 Chron. 2.6. And ſo did the Eaſtern Monarchs too, yea, even in their Decrees and Orders,which now run in the plural number,as Ezra 6:8. 1 (Darius) make a Decree Ezra 7. 21. 1, even 1 Artaxerxes the King,ado make a De- cree. Nor do:I remember one example in Scripture to the contra- ry. It is therefore a raſh and preſumpruous attempt, without any wariait,to thruſt the uſages of modern Stile into the ſacred Scrip- ture Beſides, the Lord doth generally ſpeak of himſelf in the fin-
*Pſal: 104.
12
ber is uſed for the ſignification of this Myſtery. Moreover, this device is utte:ly overthrown by comparing this Text with Ge: 3. 22. The Lord God ſaid, Behold,cke man is become as one of us, 'There- fore there are more perſons than one in the God-head. How ma- ny they are,other Texts plainly inform us,as we ſhall ſe intheir proper places. And whereas he ſaith not now as he did before, Let the Earth or Waters bring forth, but Let us make ; this change of the phraſe and manner'of expreſſion ſhews, that man was, as the laſt,ſo the moſt perfe&,and rhe chief of the ways & works of God in this lower World. i Image and likeneſs are two words noting the ſame thing,even exatt likeneſs. For both of them are uſed of Adam, Gen: 5. 3. He bezat a Son in his own likeneſs, after his Image;and F they are ſeparatly and indifferently uſed in the ſame ſenſe, man p- being ſaid to be made #n the likenee of God, Gen. 5. 1. and in the I- mage of God, Gen. 9. 6, Queſt. Wherein doth the Image of God in Man conſiſt ? nſw. r. It is in the whole Man, both in the ble(ſ- ſedneſs of his Eſtate, and in his Dominion over the reſt of the Creatures. 2. It ſhines forth even.in the Boly; in the Majeſty of mans Countenance, and hight of his Stature,which is ſer towards Heaven.when other Creatures by their down looks ſhew the low. iſs and meanneſs oftheir Nature, as even Heathens have obſer. ved. 3. Ir principally conſiſts and moſt eminently appears in | mans Soul. 1.In its Nature and Subſtance, as it is, like God, Spi- ; r:tual, Inviſible, Immortal, &. 3. In its Powers and Faculties, |
gular number, ſome few places excepted, wherein the plural num.
£4 P's
3. In the ſingular endowments Wherewith God hath adorned it,as Knowledge, Righteouſneſs, and true Holineſs, in which St. Paul chiefly
. placeth this Image, Eph: 4. 24. Col. 3. 10. k The Male and Female.
both comprehended in the word,Man, as isexprefled v.27.together with their Poſterity. 7 By which he underſtands either, - 1. Both tame and wild Beaſts,the ſame word being uſed here in a differin ſenſe from what it hath v 25. as is frequent in Scripture. Or, 2. Tame Beaſts,which are particuiarly mentioned, becauſe they 'are more under mans Dominion than the wild Beaſts,and more fitted for mans Uſeand Benefit, though the other be not excluded, bur comprehended under the former, as the more famous kind, as is uſual in Scriptures and other Authors. 2 Over all other Crea- turesand ProduCtions of the Earth, and over the Earth ir ſelf, t6 manage it as they ſee fitfortheir own comfort and advantage.
27 So God Created maninhisown Image, inthe Image of God Created he him, * Male and Female , Created hethem ». _
7 Not both together, as ſome of the Jews have Fabled, but ſuc- ceſſively, the Woman after and out of the Man, as is moreparti- cularly related, Gen: 2: 21, &c» which is here meationed by anti- Cipation. Albeit the Woman alſo ſeems to have been made upon the ſixth day, as is here related, and as the following bleſſing ſhewerh, which is common to both of them, though the particu- lar Hiſtory of it is broughtin afterwards, Chap: 2. by way of re- capitulation,or repetition.